Weekend Roundup

Georgetowner • May 2, 2012

**Hank?s Oyster Bar** Chef/owner, **Jamie Leeds**, and mixologist **Gina Chersevani** are working together again, but this time as partners. They plan to open a new Hank?s Oyster Bar in Eastern Market, where Ba Bay used to be. Gina plans to hand-carve ice from giant blocks. In addition to the long bar, there will be an additional 40 seats plus a small outdoor patio. In addition to Gina?s 18-22 cocktails on her nautically-themed drink list, she also plans to create her own oyster stout. Eventually, Gina?s drinks will be offered at Hank?s in Dupont Circle and Alexandria. They hope to open this June.

**Logan Circle Update: Aaron Gordon**, owner/operator of DC?s **Tangysweet**, **Red Velvet Cupcakery** and Clarendon?s **Rabbit Salad & Grille** is taking over the Logan Circle space on 14th Street where ACKC used to be. He plans to offer breakfast, and wants to open in early August.

**More on 14th Street: Mark Kuller**, owner of **Proof and Estadio**, plans to open a Southeast Asian-inspired restaurant on 14th Street in Logan Circle. Chef **Haidar Karoum** will be at the helm of this new concept. They plan to open in late fall or early winter.

Much more on 14th Street: **M Caf? & Bar**, formerly in Chevy Chase, will reopen on 14th Street in Logan Circle in September. It?s owned by retail developer **Iraklis Karabassis**, who also operates **Sette Osteria** and who co-founded **Cafe Milano**. The 90-seat space will have a bar/lounge area, outdoor terrace, and two private dining rooms. Chef **Nico Amroune** will remain as executive chef.

**Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant** is moving into the space formerly occupied by BodySmith gym, which is moving down the street at the end of the year and more than doubling its space. The Connecticut-based **Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant** chain plans to open before end of 2012.

**Columbia Heights Update**: Architect **Eric Gronning**, who designed **Jack Rose, Marvin, Cork**, and **Pizzeria Paradiso**, and his wife **Lori Robertson**, decided to jump in and open their own restaurant in their own neighborhood. **Maple**, on 11th Street in Columbia Heights, is a 38-seat European-style restaurant and bar. Tiger maple wood was used to construct the 20-foot bar, hence the name. Eric also built the bar chairs and is working on his own lighting fixtures. The chef is Eric?s uncle, **Felix Gonzales**, who pre?viously worked at a restaurant in Baltimore?s Little Italy. In the spirit of neighborly support, the owners of Cork helped create the wine list. Maple is the latest in a blossoming restaurant row. The owner of **Tryst, Open City**, and **The Diner** is opening a bar/diner/coffeehouse across the street.

**Kangaroo Boxing Club**, a barbecue joint, will open where **Acuario** used to be on 11th Street, brought to you by **PORC** food truck founders **Josh Saltzman, Trent Allen** and **Chris Powers** and **Solly?s Tavern** co-owner Peyton Sherwood. The name dates back to a college drinking bet about being able to beat a kangaroo in a boxing match. The 39-seat spot will serve an expanded menu from the food truck. Peyton will also create a craft-cocktail list along with about 10 beers. It is slated to open this summer.

**Pleasant Pops** food truck owners **Roger Horowitz** and **Brian Sykora** plan to open a market and cafe at 18th and Florida this summer. Pleasant Pops used Kickstarter to crowdsource (aka raise) $20,000 for the store. It surpassed that goal with more than 300 donors. The farmhouse chic d?cor includes old barn wood and farmhouse tools. It will sell four rotating seasonal pop flavors plus eight standards. There will also be sandwiches, salads, cheeses, milk, eggs, and jams from the same farmers who provide Pleasant Pops with the fruits they use to make their pops.

**Chef & GM Update: Bridget Kelly** has been named the new general manager for **Del Frisco?s Grille**, slated to opening July at 1201 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. She hails from Massachusetts where she was GM for sev?eral Burtons Grill restaurants in Boston and Burlington, MA. **Rob Klink** was named exec?utive chef for Del Frisco?s Grille. Previously he was executive chef for **Turnabout Grill** in Owings Mills, MD, but he?s better known around here as former executive chef for **Oceanaire Seafood Room** in downtown DC. **BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant** appointed **Thomas Leonard** as Executive Chef. **Jon Mathieson** has become execu?tive chef for **BLT Steak**; previously he was at **Michel at The Ritz-Carlton**, Tysons Corner. He also worked at **Inox** and 2941, also in Northern Virginia.

**Renovations: Jose Andres?** first **Jaleo** in Penn Quarter has reopened after extensive renovations. Spanish designer **Juli Capella** and architect **Eric Gronning** have given it a more whimsical look. The menu is also new with some unusual offerings?. **K Street Lounge** is renovating and rebranding as **Capitale**, a nightclub with no food service inside. Artist **Maggie O?Neill**, who designed **Sax, Lincoln,** and **Irish Whiskey Public House**, is revamping the space, which will close for renovations during the second week of May and reopen in July.

**More renovations and rebirth: ** **The North Dakota Farmers Union and Farmers Restaurant Group** announced plans to open **Farmers, Fishers & Bakers** at their Georgetown waterfront space at Washington Harbor in late fall 2012. The totally new res?taurant will replace **Farmer & Fishers**, which was destroyed a year ago in the flood along the Potomac River waterfront. It will join the long-awaited reopening of **Tony & Joe?s** and **Nick?s Riverside Grille**, also shut down by the flood. They plan to open this month.

**Artsy Renovations**: As of May 1, the **Garden Caf?** inside the National Gallery of Art will be re-dubbed **Garden Caf? Catalonia** and feature a Catalan menu created by **Jose Andres** to complement the museum?s forthcoming **Joan Mir?** exhibit. Andr?s and his **ThinkFoodGroup** collaborated with the **National Gallery of Art** in 2009 for the **Garden Caf? Espana**. And also in 2011 when **Caf? Atlantico** transformed into **America Eats Tavern** as part of a partnership with National Archives? exhibit, What?s Cooking, Uncle Sam? Run by **Restaurant Associates**, the cafe will remain open through mid-Sep?tember. It replaces the **Garden Caf? Italia**, which has been running for the past year with a menu courtesy of **Fabio Trabocchi**.

Renovations Correction: Shelly?s Back Room on F Street, NW did recently open its outdoor patio, Shelly?s Front Porch, The description of the additional 1000 sq ft and 50+ seats in April?s column referred to the expansion done last year, not to Shelly?s Front Porch.

Longtime friends and Local 16 owner **Aman Ayoubi** and **Utopia Bar & Grill** owner **Jamal Sahri** are opening a subterranean Brazilian lounge on U Street., NW. Located below Lost Society and Subway, it will focus on live music and performing art from Brazil. The plan is to have it open before the begin?ning of summer.

**Downtown DC Update**: Thai restaurateur **Oy Changsila** is opening **Sala Thai**, a fast casual spin-off of his Sala Thai restaurants. It will open in the space formerly occupied by **Maoz** on M Street in downtown DC. It will focus on Thai street food. They plan to be open by June. **Taylor Gourmet** is planning a July opening for the downtown crowd on 19th Street, NW. It will take over the space where **Mixt Greens** was. They will also offer late night and breakfast hoagies on the weekends. They are collaborating with **Grupo 7** on a crowd-sourced mural. They?re reaching out to customers via Facebook and Twitter to find 10-15 local artists who will design sections of the mural. More hoagie shops in Merrifield, VA and another DC location are also in the works along with the first** Taylor Charles Steak & Ice** on H Street.

**Tom Power**, chef/owner of **Corduroy**, who bought the building adjacent to his **Shaw** restaurant on 9th Street for a second restau?rant slated to be called **Velour**, has changed the name and concept. The new name is **Herringbone** and the concept will be sim?pler and more casual than Corduroy, offering lobster rolls rather than lobster carpaccio. A summer opening is planned.

***Linda Roth Conte is president of Linda Roth Associates, Inc (LRA) specializing in making creative connections through media relations, marketing initiatives, community outreach and special events for the hospitality industry. Contact Linda at 703-417-2700 or linda@lindarothpr.com or visit her web site at www.lindarothpr.com***

Georgetowner • April 16, 2012

DC Design House

April 13th, 2012 at 12:00 PM | $20 | Event Website

DC Design House opens to the public for tours April 14- May 13

Times vary, so check website!

Address

4951 Rockwood Parkway, NW

Washington, DC

Many Moves One Movement: A Multilingual Dance, Music and Art Celebration

April 13th, 2012 at 07:30 PM

April is Language Access Month in Dc and to celebrate, Many Languages One Voice is hosting Many Moves One Movement, an evening of dance and music performances that reflect DC’s diverse immigrant communities. Performances: Ethiopian coffee ceremony, son jarocho, samba, salsa, a film about Chinatown’s senior community, traditional Hawaiian, Japanese and West African dances. Event will include Caribbean, Ethiopian, and Vietnamese food, local art, and a silent auction.

Address

BloomBars

3222 11th St, NW

Washington, D.C.

National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade

April 14th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | $20 for grandstand seating, free along parade route | parade@downtowndc.org | Tel: 877.442.5666 | Event Website

Lavish floats, giant helium balloons, marching bands, and performers burst down the historic avenue in an energy-filled spectacle of music and showmanship seen only once a year during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Address

Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th streets, NW

U.S. NAVY MEMORIAL HOSTS 21ST ANNUAL “BLESSING OF THE FLEETS

April 14th, 2012 at 01:00 PM | Free | mweber@navymemorial.org | Tel: (202) 380-0723 | Event Website

The centuries-old “Blessing of the Fleets” ceremony is intended to safeguard crews and ships from the danger of the seas through a traditional blessing given by a clergyman at the water’s edge.
The Blessing of the Fleets’ highlight occurs when Sailors from the U.S. Navy’s Ceremonial Guard proceed across the Memorial Plaza’s “Granite Sea” to pour water from the Seven Seas and the Great Lakes into the surrounding fountains, “charging” them to life and ushering in the spring season.

Address

701 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest Washington D.C., DC 20004

FotoDC National Cherry Blossom Photo Contest 2012

April 15th, 2012 at 12:00 AM | 6.95-12.95 | Tel: 202.337.FOTO | Event Website

Grab your camera and catch Washington “in the pink!” FotoDC and the National Cherry Blossom Festival present the second annual Photography
Contest honoring the 100-year anniversary of DC’s beloved gift.

Show a side of The Blossoms this city’s never seen before. Find endless inspiration at the Cherry Blossom Festival. Capture a moment thousands of residents and visitors will remember. Enter the contest and your work just might blossom!

Address

1838 Colombia Road NW,

Washington DC, 20009

Preview Night Benefit Smithsonian Craft Show and Sale

April 18th, 2012 at 06:30 PM | $200, tickets by advance reservation | austrpr@si.edu | Tel: 888-832-9554 | Event Website

Cocktail Buffet, First Choice Shopping, Meet the Artists, Jazz by the John Paul Ensemble.

The Craft Show and Sale is widely regarded as the country’s most prestigious juried show and sale of fine American craft.

Address

The National Building Museum

401 F Street, NW.

Washington, DC 20001

Christ Church Art Show and Sale

April 27th, 2012 at 05:00 PM | Event Website

The annual Christ Church, Georgetown, Art Show and Sale is coming up on April 27, 28, and 29 in Keith Hall. The opening reception is on Friday, April 27, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The show and sale continues on Saturday, April 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and on Sunday April 29, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Artists contribute at least 50% of all sales to Christ Church, and the proceeds are used to expand parish outreach.

Address

Christ Church Georgetown

31st and O Streets

Georgetowner • April 9, 2012

2012 GW Rowing Invitational Launches

April 6th & 7th, 2012 at 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | mgustafson@nsl.org | Tel: (540) 687-6542 | Event Website

The George Washington Rowing Invitational, the largest collegiate rowing competition in the Washington metropolitan area, will take place this Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7 on the Potomac River race course. Racing commences on Friday from 1-4 p.m. and resumes with two Saturday sessions from 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony. Marquee races are scheduled for Saturday afternoon between 2-4 p.m.

Address

Course begins near the Spout Run area of the Potomac River

with the finish line at Washington Harbour (3050 K Street, NW) in Georgetown

Scraps: British Sporting Drawings

April 6th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | mgustafson@nsl.org | Tel: (540) 687-6542

From the Paul Mellon Collection at the VMFA, Richmond, this exhibition takes its title from Henry Alken’s series of drawings and prints that depict varied and often-humorous episodes of sporting and country life.

Address

The National Sporting

Library and Museum

102 The Plains Road

Middleburg, Virginia 20118

Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival

April 7th, 2012 at 01:00 PM | Free and open to the public | Tel: 877.442.5666 | Event Website

Enjoy eight hours of free music, water-related activities, cultural experiences, live entertainment and delicious foods. At 8:30pm, fireworks will light up the Washington Channel.

Address

Kastles Stadium at The Wharf: a waterfront arena with multiple outdoor areas.

800 Water Street, SW.

Korean Culture Night

April 7th, 2012 at 07:30 PM | FREE | auksa.rules@gmail.com | Tel: 267-255-1685 | Event Website

American University’s Korean Student Association is hosting an event celebrating traditional and contemporary Korean culture. Participants will enjoy a food tasting of Korean cuisines, playing Korean games, try on traditional Korean costumes. There will also be performances showcasing the evolution of Korean performance entertainment featuring the Asian American Arts Center Drum and Dance, beat boxer Chip Han, and K-Pop cover group RAW Movement.

Address

American University

4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW

Mary Graydon Center The Tavern

UPPERVILLE GARDEN CLUB DAFFODIL SHOW AND TEA

April 10th, 2012 at 02:00 AM | Free Donations appreciated | jannamleepson@aol.com | Tel: 540-687-5192

This American Daffodil Society accredited horticulture competition will amaze you. View hundreds of daffodils of all sizes, colors and forms, posed and submitted by amateur daffodil growers. Learn about growing and showing these wonderful spring flowers. All amateur growers are invited to exhibit. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the beauty of the daffodils and join us for tea.

Address

Buchanan Hall

8549 John Mosby Hwy

Upperville, Va 20184

Marit Fosso • April 5, 2012

Grande Fète de la Francophonie

Friday March 23, 2012 at 7 p.m. | Tickets $35 | Event Website.

La Maison Francaise at the Embassy of France will host the Grande Fète de la Francophonie. More than 35 embassies will unite to present their cuisine and culture. Sample their food and beverages and check out their arts and crafts from 7 to 10 p.m, listen to a live concert at 8 p.m. and dance the night away when the volume gets turned up at 10 p.m.

Address

La Maison Francaise at the Embassy of France

4101 Reservoir Rd NW,

Washington, DC 20007

Family Days

March 24, 2012 at 10 AM to 4:30 PM & March 25, 2012 from 11 AM to 3:30 PM |Event Website

This weekend, the National Building Museum will present Family Days, a two-day festival of family entertainment. Experience fun activities, such as creating shoji screens and pop-up architecture, dressing up in traditional Japanese Costumes and interactive lessons on climate change and energy conservation.

Address

National Building Museum

401 F Street, NW

Washington DC

Girl Scouts in Georgetown Day

Saturday March 24, 2012 |10-11:30 AM | Costs $10 for scouts and tag-alongs and $3 for accompanying adults |Event Website

Scouts can explore architectural styles from around the world, tour Tudor Place and the Georgetown neighborhood and be creative in designing their own landscape and building.

Address

Tudor Place

31st Street NW

Washington, DC

Georgetown University’s Annual Spring Charity Fashion Show

Saturday March 24, 2012 at 7 PM | Tel: 734-717-6056 | Email: vmp22@georgetown.edu

Georgetown University will host its annual Spring Charity Fashion show. Proceeds will go towards the construction of a new kindergarten for the children of Roslin Orphanage in West Timor, Indonesia. There will be designer clothes, Georgetown models, raffles, live music and a beauty queen.

Address

Gaston Hall at Georgetown University

37th and O Streets, N.W

Washington D.C. 20057

Springtime Pops!

Saturday March 24, 2012 at 8 PM | Students get in for free; adults, $17; seniors, $11 | Event Website

The City of Fairfax Band will play a concert called “Springtime Pops!,” featuring a program of classical and popular selections in the format made popular by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.

Address

Fairfax High School

3501 Rebel Run

Fairfax Va 22030.

Cherry Blossom Bike Ride & Cycle Expo

Sunday March 25, 2012 from 10 AM to 2 PM | Event Website

The Cherry Blossom Bike Ride & Cycle Expo will take place in Georgetown. There will be rides along the Capital Crescent Trail and educational demonstrations and vendors in front of Jack’s Boathouse on Water Street under Key Bridge. The event will benefit the American Diabetes Association

Address

Georgetown Waterfront Park on Water Street.

Opening Ceremony

Sunday March 25, 2012 5 to 6:30 PM | The event is free but requires that you register online in advance | Event Website

Opening ceremony for the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The ceremony presents performances that tell the story about how the gift of trees turned into the annual festival.

Address

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center

801 Mt Vernon Place NW

Washington, DC 20001

Benetton Spring Fashion Show

Sunday March 25, 2012 from 6 to 8 PM | Tel: 202-625-2183 | Event Website

A VIP Fashion Show at the United Colors of Benetton Store in Georgetown. See the new spring collections, enjoy refreshments and shop the spring/summer collection, enjoying a 20-percent discount.

Address

The United Colors of Benetton Store

1200 Wisconsin Ave., N.W,

Washington, D.C. 20007.

Gary Tischler •

This is what it’s like to be in Washington in the spring, punchy, yelled at, bowled ever, embraced, cajoled, and awed by history almost everywhere you go.

If you come here to see the sites and sights, history is purposefully and permanently here in all the monuments, past, present and soon to be erected.

If you come here to be in the nation’s capital and ingest the atmosphere of what’s on the nightly news you may get lucky and get more than you bargained for. If you came here to let your passions burn out loud, your feelings spill into parks and streets, your face on television as an army of many on the very same nightly news, well, here and there you are.

And if you want to be a part of something enduring and fragile, all at once and steeped in history, well, there’s that, too.

All sorts of history was going on over a Washington weekend and is still going on. On a Saturday, you could catch a large group of demonstrators at Freedom Plaza, many of them young black men dressed in hoodies to protest the death of as 17-year-old unarmed Florida teenager shot to death nearly a month ago by a self-appointed member of a neighborhood watch in a gated community. The voices were loud, impassioned and as clear as an open wound, even if the larger issues were not so easy to decipher.

You could go over to Capitol Hill (and to the Department of Health and Services) and see the preparations as the country’s highest court in the land, the Supreme Court, prepared to take on the landmark Health Care legislation, called ObamaCare, passed more than two years ago and now under question on constitutional grounds. Tea party demonstrators were already here, demonstrating at HEW, while other folks prepared to get in line for the limited seats available to spectators.

Down at the Tidal Basin, on Friday, history was being honored again — in that unique way that is both immediately, beautifully, sweetly, mysteriously, in the here and now and firmly rooted in the commemorative past.

The cherry blossoms, first presented as a gift to the United States from Japan 100 years ago were in full bloom. And they were early. And there was a storm coming, a “monster storm,” a “huge storm” as told by hyper-ventilating, vibrating weather people and television news in apocalyptic tones who expressed an uninvited opinion that the cherry blossoms were in serious danger.

As if anybody needed that kind of panic-inducing encouragement, everybody showed up. It’s fair to say they showed up in the thousands, on a sunny, brilliant, warm day as far removed from sturm und drang as you can possibly be.

I went to see the cherry blossom with my colleague Robert Devaney. I, too, felt some panic at the dire predictions. So, I feared that my usual penchant for procrastination might have dire results. The cherry blossoms might be gone, for all I knew, something that could not be said about demonstrators for justice or lines at the Supreme Court.

And so, for the first time since I moved in Washington, D.C., in the late 1970s, I went to the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms in full, fabulous, fantastic bloom. Regrets? Boy, do I have a few. Ashamed? I certainly am.

Because the cherry blossoms themselves, and the festival that has evolved out of the gift and the flowering of white and pink blossoms, and that ballet-like swirling dance they do, making you blissfully blinded by the white, as they twirl like bashful multiple twins to earth, is one spectacularly good reason to be alive.

I’ve always seen the pictures, items on the web, accounts by word of mouth, local TV segments, and I have gone to National Cherry Blossom Festival events, such as parades, exhibits, shows, kites, and all things Japanese in America. The festival that has sprung up gets bigger every year until it runs the hopeful course of the coming of the buds, the blossoms and the dying of the light blossoms, a process that will perhaps be a bit shorter this too-sunny and warm year, although the festival will not.

But, as the song goes, “Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.”

I feel, after all, blessed by blossoms, and the spirit that they so lightly carry. We walked past the Washingtonia of the still slightly wounded-by-earthquake Washington Monument and the future site of the Museum of African-American History. And, as the poet Walt Whitman so sung of ourselves: the world’s humanity arrived pretty much all at once. They jostled for walking space, laid out blankets, kissed and made up, let their hot dogs drink, maneuvered their baby carriages, managed their canes and fragile bones.

All of us walked in splendor.

Across the paths to were the site of where the first trees were planted, you could see the thousands, and the packed blossoms straining successfully to be a vista edging up to either side of the Jefferson Memorial. Choppers in the sky — black ops? — paddle boats on the river, a dangerously flirtatious female duck making her final choice among four or five male admirers who appeared to be trying to drown her. Tough love indeed.

Everybody posed. Everybody clicked the age of the digital camera click — up for the blossom closeup, back for the larger world view, snap, snap. Get the girls lacrosse team, the park cop on her horse, the children running or sleeping.

And there was the group that had laid out a picnic cloth, friends, neighbors, acquaintances and an artist painting. One was a couple who live in Paris: he, American, a retired TWA pilot who once saw a biplane land in a field near his town and never forgot it; she, his instant French love-of-his-life.

Perhaps influenced by his surroundings, he said, “I got to say it. I’ve had a wonderful life.” He hushed my expressions of worry about getting older. “You’re an amateur,” he said. He was 91.

This is the way it was on a Friday in Washington, in the sudden peak time of the cherry blossoms and many other things. There are, I’m sure, very good and always mysterious reasons for believing in God, a deity, a creator, a higher being. The atheists or non-believers among us who were also gathering in Washington this weekend had found none. [gallery ids="100655,100656,100657,100658,100659,100660" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner • April 2, 2012

DC Swan Event in Georgetown: “Singles Faire” Opening Reception

March 30th, 2012 at 8:00 PM | FREE | Event Website

The Georgetown Theatre Company and Women in Film & Video will host the 5th Annual DC SWAN Day, an all-day event featuring FREE Music, Theatre and Storytelling Performances, Poetry Readings, Visual Arts and Film Screenings. In honor of DC SWAN (Support Women Artists) Day, there will be an opening reception for the Singles Faire exhibition on Friday, March 30, at 8 p.m. at Baked & Wired. Jenny Walton’s art will be exhibited.The indie band Not My Sister will be performing at 7:30PM.

Address

Baked & Wired

1052 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW

Friends of Palisades Library Book Sale

March 30th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | 25 cents to $10/bag | friendsofpalisadeslibrary@gmail.com

Book Sale, The Friends of Palisades Library holds its Spring Sale, Friday, March 30, and Saturday, March 31, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Palisades DC Library, 4901 V Street NW. Most books priced at $1; “bargain” books go for 25 cents each or $5 per bag. Buy $10 bags of regular books on Saturday. Proceeds benefit the Palisades branch library to support special programs for children and adults. Email FriendsOfPalisadesLibrary@gmail.com.
Address

Palisades DC Library

4901 “V” Street NW

Blossom Kite Festival

March 31st, 2012 at 10:30 AM | Free and open to the public | ncbf@downtowndc.org | Tel: 877.442.5666 | Event Website

Have fun with kite flying at the Blossom Kite Festival that presents demonstrations of Japanese woodblock printing and painting, kite-making competitions and shows.

Address

Washington Monument grounds

Constitution Avenue & 17th Street, NW

The 2012 Capital Art Fair

March 31st, 2012 at 10:00 AM | $10.00 | Tel: (202) 965-1818 | Event Website

The Capital Art Fair will host its third annual art fair on Saturday, March 31, and Sunday April 1. Held at the Rosslyn Westpark Hotel in Alexandria, the Capital Art Fair will bring 22 established art dealers to Washington, D.C. Visitors to the fair will find thousands of works on paper- great master prints to cutting edge, contemporary pieces. The original prints, paintings, and photographs span over 500 years of creative expression, offering an impressive assortment to DC art collectors.

Address

Holiday Inn- Rosslyn Westpark Hotel

1900 North Fort Meyer Drive

Alexandria, VA 22209

Walking Tour “Mr. Nourse’s Neighborhood: Georgetown c. 1800”

April 1st, 2012 at 01:00 PM | $10.00 | info@dumbartonhouse.org | Tel: 202-337-2288 | Event Website

Join Dwane Starlin, member of the Guild of Professional Tour Guides, for this meander through Georgetown’s “East Village” streets, circa 1800, the way Joseph Nourse– first resident of Dumbarton House and first register of the U.S. Treasury- would have viewed his neighborhood on the heights of Georgetown from his “Belle Vue” home (aka Dumbarton House) atop Cedar hill. 60 minutes. Comfy walking shoes a must! $10 per walker (age 3 and under free). No pets, please. Register online or call us.

Address

2715 Q Street, NW

Washington, DC 20007

Taste of the Nation

April 2nd, 2012 at 06:00 PM | $95 | dctaste@gmail.com | Event Website

Hottest food and wine event of 2012 featuring tastings from the best restaurants and bars and a silent auction to help fight childhood hunger. This year’s event benefits Capital Area Food Bank, DC Hunger Solutions and Mary’s Center.

Address

National Building Museum

401 F Street NW

Washington DC 20001

Cherry Blossom Tea

April 4th, 2012 at 01:00 PM | $20

Enjoy the return of the cherry blossoms at Tudor Place with teas, sandwiches, scones, desserts and a stroll through the gardens.

Address

1644 31st Street, NW

Washington, 20007

Georgetowner • March 19, 2012

BLOSSOM DC

March 16th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | Free | info@oldprintgallery.com | Tel: (202) 965-1818 | Event Website

BLOSSOM DC, opens on March 16th with a nighttime reception and runs until May 11th. Inspired by the 100 year anniversary of the gift of cherry trees from Japan to DC, this show celebrates the youthful energy of spring’s blossoms. A large number of prints by local DC artists are included in the show, coupled with a selection of works by NY contemporary artists and several early 20th century printmakers. Highlights include prints by local artists Marti Patchell, Susan Goldman, and Erwin Thamm.

Address

The Old Print Gallery

1220 31st Street, NW

Looking for more Cherry Blossom Themed event? Click Here for more!

Not Alone’s St. Patrick’s Day Fundraiser

March 17th, 2012 at 06:00 PM | One (1) Ticket: $70; Two (2) Tickets: $125; Four (4) Tickets: $240 | danielle@notalone.com | Tel: 615-243-7400 | Event Website

Come learn about and support Not Alone, an organization that provides programs, resources and services to warriors and families impacted by combat stress and PTSD through a confidential and anonymous community. Enjoy unlimited beer and wine, kick up your heels to great music, and taste the exquisite food of Todd and Ellen Gray.
Washington, D.C. 20007

Address

Watershed Restaurant

1225 1st Street Northeast

Washington D.C., DC 20002

Champagne Dinner

March 19th, 2012 at 07:00 PM | Event Website

Join Washington Women and Wine at The Curious Grape Wine Bar for a Champagne Dinner

Address

The Curious Grape Wine Bar

2900 South Quincy Street

Shirlington Village – Arlington, VA

2012 Pink Tie Party

March 15th, 2012 at 07:00 PM | $200 | Tel: 877.442.5666 | Event Website

Washington’s petal partiers will gather for the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s signature Pink Tie Party on Tuesday, March 20 at 7 PM. Chefs José Andrés and Roy Yamaguchi, innovators in the culinary community, will host the evening, exemplifying the international collaboration and creativity at the heart of the Festival. The sixth annual fundraiser and kick-off to the Centennial Celebration will be held at The Mayflower® Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel.

Address

Mayflower® Renaissance Hotel

1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20036

Preparing for the Ball: Dancing

March 20th, 2012 at 07:00 PM | 10-12 | Tel: 202-337-2288 | Event Website

Fourth in a series of four 19th-century skills & etiquette workshops, with the “American Ladies,” Pat Sowers and Jackie Geschickter. Become immersed in Jane Austen’s world at Dumbarton House’s annual Spring Ball on March 24. To prepare for the festivities, attend one or all four classes on period games and dances. Series includes: Feb. 28, Gaming; March 6, Dancing; March 13, Gaming; and March 20, Dancing. Classes are held in the Belle Vue Room. Each class $12; Members $10.

Address

Dumbarton House,

2715 Q Street, NW,

Washington, DC, 20007

Georgetowner • March 12, 2012

ArtJamz Opens First Retail Location

March 9th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | $65 | Event Website

Come enjoy beer, wine, vitaminwater zero, Fuel Pizza, a canvas to paint and keep, unlimited acrylic paints, brushes, art materials and tips from ArtJamz Creative Enablers

Address

1742 Connecticut Ave NW 20009

Book Signing With Kristi Yamaguchi

March 10th, 2012 at 10:00 AM

Olympic gold medalist, Dancing with the Stars champion and New York Times best selling author of her debut children’s book, Dream Big, Little Pig! will be signing her 2nd book, It’s A Big World, Little Pig!

Address

4:30 pm- Washington DC Public Library
901 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro: Are We There Yet?

March 11th, 2012 at 11:00 AM | Tel: (202) 639- 1700 | Event Website

A debut exhibition by Australian duo Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro

Address

Corcoran Gallery of Art

500 17th Street

Washington, D.C. 2000

United States Marine Band

March 12th, 2012 at 07:30 PM | FREE | Event Website

“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band presents a Gala Concert with Guest Conductor, Gerard Schwarz

The Music Center at Strathmore

5301 Tuckerman Lane

North Bethesda, MD 20852

Pink Tie Party

March 20th, 2012 at 07:00 PM | $200 | Event Website

The National Cherry Blossom Festival’s signature Pink Tie Party fundraiser kicks off the blossom season at The Mayflower Renaissance Hotel. The party features delicious spring- and cherry-inspired cuisine and cocktails from chef hosts José Andrés and Roy Yamaguchi as well as more than 35 of Washington’s top chefs. A silent auction contributes to the fundraising, with everything from weekend getaways to dining, sporting, theater and concert experiences. 7 to 11 p.m.; $200 per person.

Address

The Mayflower® Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel

1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20036

Georgetowner • March 8, 2012

Arthur Phillips: The Tragedy of Arthur

February 24th, 2012 at 07:00 PM | FREE | Event Website

Phillips discusses The Tragedy of Arthur, his novel about about a newly discovered — and fictional — play by Shakespeare.

Address

Folger Shakespeare Library

201 East Capitol Street SE

Washington, DC

20003

Free Computer Tune-Up

February 24th, 2012 at 07:00 PM | FREE | Event Website

Bring your computer in for a Free Tune-UP.

Optimize your hard drive

Remove unnecessary start-up programs

Clean up junk files

Provide free upgrade recommendations

Blow the dust out of your computer and clean the screen

Address

2010 P St NW,

Washington, DC

2012 DC Design House Bare Bones Tour

February 25th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | Event Website

From 10-3PM, DC Design House Bare Bones Tour benefits the Children’s National Medical Center. $5 (can be applied to the purchase of a $20 ticket for the DC Design House, April 14-May 13).
Last chance to see the 5th Annual DC Design House spaces BEFORE the 23 designers begin transforming the rooms. In 37 days, the spaces will be stunning, reflective of the top DC design talent in the DC area.

Address

4951 Rockwood Parkway, NW,

Washington DC (in Spring Valley)

FREE Puppy Playtime!

February 25th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | Event Website

FREE puppy socialization class with our Certified Dog Trainer. Please bring proof of vaccination (first round of puppy shots required.)

Address

855 Wisconsin Ave NW,

Washington, DC 20007

Blast at Bibiana

February 27th, 2012 at 06:30 PM | Event Website

Join Washington Women and Wine at Bibiana Osteria- Enoteca with NBC 4 Anchor, Angie Goff for dinner

Address

Bibiana Osteria- Enoteca

1100 New York Avenue NW

Hardy PTA Fundraiser at Town Hall

February 27th, 2012 at 05:00 PM |

Join the Hardy PTA for a fundraiser, Monday, Feb. 27 at Town Hall Restaurant.

Town Hall Restaurant – located at 2340 Wisconsin Avenue, just up the hill from Hardy – will donate 15 percent of the night’s proceeds to the PTA. Bring your friends and neighbors, meet other Hardy parents, enjoy a great meal, and support the Hardy PTA! Come anytime between 5 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

Address

2340 Wisconsin Ave NW,

Washington, DC 20007